How Did Zinn Agree With The Economic Interests Of The Upper Class

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Module 5 Discussion Assignment

Yes
Howard Zinn agrees with the notion that the United States Constitution was created largely with the economic interests of the upper classes. He cites early 20th century historian Charles Beard’s book, “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution,” to bolster his point that the Constitution was drafted in such a way to predominantly benefit the upper class. In his book, Beard claimed that the wealthy must either control government directly or influence its laws to protect their interests (150). That claim makes sense when looking at the constituency gathered in Philadelphia in 1787; a large majority of the 55 men present were wealthy and owned capital of some sort.
Zinn goes into detail how proletarian unrest, namely Shays’ Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion, caused unease amongst the wealthy. The solution, according to James Madison in Federalist #10, was a unifying Constitution. Madison believed that it would be easier to quell uprisings and dissent if the government was much larger; instead of unruly residents solely dealing with a state’s governing body, they would have to deal with the entire country (156).
Zinn makes a convincing case for the Constitution being heavily influenced by moneyed interests but its implementation was made possible by the …show more content…

Wood doesn’t necessarily disagree that the constitution was framed by the upper class of the newly formed United States but he does disagree on the incentive; he believes the framers of the Constitution constructed it in the way they did due to political turmoil, not to benefit from economic protections. Wood points to the “excessive democracy” and localist, factious politics that emerged during the era of the Articles of Confederation. State legislatures were being filled with elected men who were less educated and had parochial interests. According to Federalists, these men were enacting “the confused, unjust, and narrowly based legislation of the 1780’s

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